The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a bell-to-bell cell phone ban for public schools on Monday, continuing a statewide push against the mental health dangers of social media.
House Bill 1814 passed the House by a 126-75 vote, with 44 Republicans voting in favor and 20 Democrats voting against it. The Pennsylvania Senate passed its own version of a cell phone ban in April with a 46-1 vote.
The bill would prohibit public school students from using cell phones during the school day. Students would be required to secure their phones in a way that prevents access until the end of the day, using a pouch or another device designed to prevent use.
Exceptions could be made for emergency and medical needs approved by school administrators.
The debate over cell phones in schools has centered on whether students can properly learn if they are reliant on screens.
Some students visiting the Pennsylvania Capitol from STEAM Academy in Harrisburg said their own learning experience would improve without cell phones.
“Kids can learn what it’s like not to have a phone, so that they’re not always like, ‘Oh, I need to be on my phone, I need to be on my phone,'” said sixth-grader Liam Wingert. “They can just be like, ‘Okay, I can take a break from my phone now.'”
Supporters of the bill, including prime sponsor Mandy Steele (D-Allegheny), anticipate a return to a simpler childhood for students and a more focused learning environment.
“It will be a world where kids are talking and playing and making eye contact and focused on their work,” Steele said. “It will be a return to normal childhood.”
Opponents, including Chad Reichard (R-Franklin), say that while they may personally support a ban, they believe the bill would take local control away from school districts.
“Every single school district has the right and the ability to be able to do that themselves,” Reichard said. “A lot of our school districts that I’ve heard from back home already have these cell phone bans in place. Essentially, what this bill would do is it would preempt those, and it might even overturn something that works perfectly well for a school district.”
The ban has been backed by educators, public health officials and by Gov. Josh Shapiro in his budget address this year.
As concerns grow over the rise of social media and artificial intelligence and their effects on children’s mental health, supporters say statewide action is needed.
Steele says it is the legislature’s job to oversee both education and public health in Pennsylvania and has a responsibility to protect children’s well-being.
“Children are not doing well — their mental health is suffering, their academic health, their physical health,” Steele said. “We’ve got to do something. Today is the day we’re going to get it done in Pennsylvania.”
Reichard said he agrees that regulations are needed but believes decisions about implementation should remain at the local level.
“I think all parents would agree that there needs to be regulations in place, and whether it’s the school spending money on pouches or whatever the case may be, those are conversations that need to happen on the local level,” Reichard said.
The bill now returns to the Pennsylvania Senate after being amended in the House to align with the Senate’s original legislation.